Arizona gunman tried to join Army, was rejected

WASHINGTON - The man accused of shooting U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and several others Saturday in Arizona was rejected by the Army when he tried to enlist in 2008, according to the Army.

Jared Lee Loughner, who is being held in connection with Saturday’s shooting in Tuscon, wrote on a video posted on his YouTube channel on Dec. 15 that he had visited the military recruiting station in Phoenix, claiming to be a military recruit.

“I didn’t write a belief on my Army application, and the recruiter wrote on the application: None,” Loughner wrote on the video.

In fact, he had been rejected by the Army more than two years ago, Army officials said.

“In accordance with the Privacy Act, we will not discuss why he was rejected,” an Army statement said.

The Army could find no record of Loughner serving in the Army, but in the chaos of breaking news, some media outlets reported that Loughner was a veteran.